A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

We are so excited to have our grandparents and special guests on campus Friday for our annual Grandparent’s Day event. The American Grandparents Association has a great list of reasons kids love their grandparents. We believe many of these to be true.

They’re always up for an adventure.

They know lots of stories — and some of them are even true.

They can grow things. Maybe it’s a garden of tomatoes and zucchini. Maybe it’s just a potted plant. And if kids help, grandparents will let them get their hands dirty.

They let grandchildren take their time. When kids stay with grandparents, they don’t need to rush to get dressed in the morning. They know grandparents will wait for them.

They make the best audience. When grandchildren learn a new poem, some fancy dance moves, or their first violin piece, they count on grandparents to watch, listen — and applaud.

They love to travel.

They knew their grandchildren’s parents when they were kids, and they have the pictures to prove it. They can tell kids stories about their parents that their moms and dads would never tell children themselves.

They’re walking history books. Most grandparents can remember when televisions had antennas, cars had fins, and phones had cords. When they take kids to a science or history musuem, they make exhibits come to life.

They collect and display their grandchildren’s art like museum curators, and they wouldn’t trade a grandchild’s first sunny-day scene for the Mona Lisa.

RECOGNITION

Mrs. Camblin’s Chapel Presentation

Mrs. Camblin’s 5th grade class closed out February’s Chapel theme of love by focusing on Mark 12:30. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” A panel of students and teachers helped explore the question of what it means to love God with your whole heart. Several 5th graders performed skits and ask the student audience to determine if loving God or loving self was being demonstrated. Other 5th graders shared personal stories of what loving God looks like lived out every day. Students left chapel challenged to live for God and not for themselves, by sharing with those in need, being humble, helping others who are hurting, trusting God in pain, having courage in hard situations, using kind words, in praise and worship, and being a Christ follower. The 5th graders led well and God was indeed honored.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

K4 is celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday by reading one of Dr. Seuss’ book Wacky Wednesday. The students were able to dress “Wacky” on Wednesday! They also dressed up as Thing 1 and Thing 2. There were many other “Seussical” craziness taking place in the classrooms to honor one of our famous authors, Dr. Seuss.

Kindergarten-Famous American Unit

Kindergarteners love to learn. Just recently they finished a unit on famous Americans which included our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. These boys were so excited to learn that Lincoln Logs were named after the log cabin president, Abraham Lincoln.

March Madnesss-Week 2 Winners

East Region (1st and 2nd Grades):

Fox’s Gonzaga Bulldogs: 56.3

Smith’s Cincinnati Bearcats: 67.1

*WINNER: Smith’s Cincinnati Bearcats!

Agan’s Kansas Jayhawks: 35.8

Dowling’s Louisville Cardinals: 42.5

*WINNER: Dowling’s Louisville Cardinals!

Wall’s Baylor Bears: 64.6

Makar’s St. Mary’s Gaels: 79.2

*WINNER: Makar’s St. Mary’s Gaels!

Bye week: Williams’ Miami Hurricanes

West Region (3rd and 4th Grades):

Lamp’s Wichita State Shockers: 79.9

Rowley’s UCLA Bruins: 122.9

*WINNER: Rowley’s UCLS Bruins!

Schuessler’s SMU Mustangs: 63.2

Walton’s Maryland Terrapins 202.0

*WINNER: Walton’s Maryland Terrapins!

Bye Week: Combs’ Xavier Musketeers

Midwest Region (5th and 6th Grades):

Bell’s FSU Seminoles: 160.9

Fitzgerald’s Arizona Wildcats: 62.1

*WINNER: Bell’s FSU Seminoles!

Brown’s Virginia Cavaliers: 60.3

Parmer’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 65.9

*WINNER: Parmer’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish!

Diehl’s Villanova Wildcats: 49.8

Pastis’ Duke Blue Devils: 97.3

*WINNER: Pastis’ Duke Blue Devils!

Camblin’s UNC Tarheels: 104.2

Dvorak’s Oregon Ducks: 97.1

*WINNER: Camblin’s UNC Tarheels!

NEW THIS WEEK

Mother/Son Boot Camp

It’s that time again. Our 2nd Annual Mother/Son Boot Camp is scheduled for Friday, March 31st beginning at 6:00pm. You don’t want to miss this fun social event. Purchase your tickets HERE.

Catch a Dragon by the Tale Reading Incentive

The TFA library is excited to announce the beginning our 3rd quarter reading incentive program for K Prep, TK, and Kindergarten students. The Catch a Dragon by the Tale Reading Incentive Program will last from February 21st-April 7th. Each week, students can fill out a Catch a Dragon by the Tale reading record form. Extras are available on the library webpage at www.thefirstacademy.org/academics/library. After you read a story with your child, or your child reads a book independently, fill out the reading record. After ten books are read, please return the reading record to your child’s teacher. Students will then be able to choose a prize during their class library time. We’re excited to see how many books our youngest readers can read over the next several weeks!

TFA Summer Preschool Opportunity

TFA’s Preschool is so very excited to welcome children, 8 weeks- 3 years old, back to campus for summer fun! Please see the attached flyer for more information. We love welcoming familiar Preschool families and new families too! Please feel free to pass along to family and friends. Click HERE for more information or to register.

Extended Library Hours

In an effort to better serve our TFA families, the Boyd-Moline Library will extend their afternoon hours beginning next week. The library will be open until 4:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the remainder of the school year. Students must still be accompanied by parents or guardians in the library after school. Accelerated Reader testing will be available until 4:15pm and book checkout until 4:20pm.

REMINDERS

Morning Dropoff-7:30AM

This is just a friendly reminder that students may be dropped off beginning at 7:30AM. If you arrive to school prior to that time, we request that students remain with their parents until 7:30AM. The library and the gym are open at that time. Student supervision does not begin until that time.

AR HomeConnect

Over the summer, we had an update to our Renaissance Learning program that we use for Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and STAR Testing. Many parents like to receive email updates when their children take Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math tests. You can set your preferences using Renaissance Learning HomeConnect. If you had this set up previously, you will need to complete the process again.

Library Hours

The Boyd Moline Library will be open until 4:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the remainder of the school year. Students must still be accompanied by parents or guardians in the library after school. Accelerated Reader testing will be available until 4:15pm and book checkout until 4:20pm. It will close at 3:30pm on Friday and at 2:40pm on Wednesdays.

Calendar Link

The TFA Calendar is a wonderful way to find the dates of upcoming events. Access our web-based calendar anytime. We recommend that you subscribe to all relevant calendars so you can keep up with all of the events going on around the school.

Parent Volunteer Background Check

If you are a new parent and would like to volunteer in your child(ren)’s classroom(s) or chaperone on field trips please complete our free background check. Please note that the background check site only works on Internet Explorer or Firefox on a desktop computer. Safari and Chrome are not supported by the site. Approvals take a few weeks so plan ahead! All parents must have a completed background check before volunteering of chaperoning on a field trip.